Sound Code Activity
Phonics Lab Decoding & Articulation Practice
Sound Code Activity
Hard / Soft C & G Rules
Student:
Date:
Score / Sign-off:
The Secret Signal Rule
Look at the vowel directly after C or G
Letter C Unvoiced sounds
Hard /k/: Followed by A, O, U (e.g., cat, cot, cub)
Soft /s/: Followed by E, I, Y (e.g., cent, city, cyst)
Letter G Voiced sounds
Hard /g/: Followed by A, O, U (e.g., gap, got, gum)
Soft /j/: Followed by E, I, Y (e.g., gem, gin, gym)
1
Partner Sound Contrast Drill
Read across in pairs. Exaggerate the mouth switch!
Hard /k/ → Soft /s/ Stop → Continuous Hiss
cat
/k/
cent
/s/
cap
/k/
cell
/s/
cot
/k/
city
/s/
cub
/k/
cite
/s/
cut
/k/
cyst
/s/
Hard /g/ → Soft /j/ Throat Burst → Soft Glide
gap
/g/
gem
/j/
gas
/g/
gel
/j/
got
/g/
gin
/j/
gum
/g/
gym
/j/
gut
/g/
gist
/j/
2
Signal Vowel Detective & Sound ID
1. Circle the signal vowel • 2. Pronounce word • 3. Write target sound symbol
Word • Signal Vowel
Sound Symbol
Word • Signal Vowel
Sound Symbol
c a n Vowel: a
/ /
g a g Vowel: a
/ /
c o p Vowel: o
/ /
g i g Vowel: i
/ /
c u p Vowel: u
/ /
g u y Vowel: u
/ /
c a k e Vowel: a
/ /
g o a t Vowel: o
/ /
c o l d Vowel: o
/ /
g a m e Vowel: a
/ /
c u b e Vowel: u
/ /
g a t e Vowel: a
/ /
c u t e Vowel: u
/ /
g e m Vowel: e
/ /
Voice Check: Place fingertips on vocal cords. Feel vibration on voiced /g/ and /j/; quiet vocal cords on unvoiced /k/ and /s/!
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Stage 2 Multi-Syllable Decoding & Fluency
Two-Syllable Sound Switch
Oral Fluency:
/k/ & /g/
/s/ & /j/
Blending
3
Syllable Division & Sound Spotting
Divide syllables • Circle following vowel • Write sound symbol • Read aloud
Target Word
Syllable Division
C / G Sound(s)
Oral Read
cactus
cac • tus
/k/ and /k/
pencil
pen • cil
/ /
garden
gar • den
/ /
gentle
gen • tle
/ /
circus [Dual]
cir • cus
/ / & / /
ginger [Dual]
gin • ger
/ / & / /
bicycle [Dual]
bi • cy • cle
/ / & / /
4
Odd Sound Out: Auditory Discrimination
Read each line aloud. Circle the ONE word with a different C or G sound!
A.
cabin camel cancel campus
3 Hard vs 1 Soft
B.
giant giraffe gadget ginger
3 Soft vs 1 Hard
C.
cereal cider comic fancy
3 Soft vs 1 Hard
D.
golden gopher garlic urgent
3 Hard vs 1 Soft
5
Decodable Pronunciation Fluency Sentences
Read aloud 3 times with partner. Articulate clearly!
1
The gentle giant and the friendly giraffe ate sweet ginger in the sunny green garden.
Targets: gentle, giant, giraffe, ginger (soft /j/) • garden (hard /g/) Read
2
A fancy princess rode her silver bicycle to enjoy a comic book at the picnic.
Targets: fancy, princess, bicycle (soft /s/) • comic, picnic, bicycle (hard /k/) Read
3
The golden gopher grabbed a tasty cupcake and ran back to the wooden cabin without danger.
Targets: golden, gopher (hard /g/) • cupcake, cabin (hard /k/) • danger (soft /j/) Read
Mastery Reflection: When C or G meets E, I, or Y, the sound is always SOFT!
Partner Checked:
